


Falling For You

by hentailobster



Category: One Piece
Genre: In a way, M/M, idk - Freeform, kind of sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 16:34:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11832657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hentailobster/pseuds/hentailobster
Summary: Zoro recalls how he fell for Sanji





	1. Chapter 1

Zoro can actually tell exactly how he fell for Sanji.  
It wasn’t a sudden “love at first sight thing”, it was just when he started thinking about his legs.  
His thoughts about them started as respect and turned into admiration. It fascinated him how strong they were, while at the same time they look so thin. Sanji looks quite fragile in general. Not like someone who could kick all your teeth out in the blink of an eye, but more like something out of a fairy tale.  
Their unexpected strength is one of the things Zoro loves about Sanji’s legs, but there’s more than that. Zoro can’t get over how beautiful Sanji’s entire fighting style is. _Beautiful_ isn’t a word that Zoro uses often, but that’s what Sanji is. When he fights. When he cooks. When, like right now, he’s sleeping in the hammock next to Zoro’s.  
Zoro knows it’s a little weird to be staring at his sleeping crewmate, but no one else is up so who cares? He’s the one looking after Sanji right now. Voluntarily, even. Everyone in the crew was surprised when he offered to keep an eye on Sanji during the night, or at least they looked like they were. He isn’t sure since they are all quite hard to read.  
Anyway, he carefully pushes some hair out of Sanji’s face, trying not to wake him. He needs his sleep. The antidotes that Chopper cooked up are working fine but his forehead is still burning hot.  
At least he’s not coughing up blood anymore.  
Zoro leans back against the wall and goes back to thinking about how he got these bothering feelings.  
After a few weeks with the cook Zoro’s mind wandered up those deadly legs to Sanji’s slender hips and waist. It was almost hypnotizing how they moved, and after watching them for a while he realized he was starting to feel attracted to Sanji. Not only to the way he walked around deck, swinging his hips in a-to say the least-provoking manner, but to his dark voice, to his scent that Zoro could feel strongly whenever they were fighting. To his blond hair that seemed to catch a few sunrays even when all you could see on the sky were storm clouds. It was all very weird and thinking back on it, Zoro should have just tried to cut Sanji out of his life right then before things got out of control.  
But he didn’t.  
It was just too easy to build up a dream based on all the times he interacted with Sanji. Fighting could easily be converted to other situations in Zoro’s mind with the help of some imagination, and he found himself drifting off now and then just thinking of what he could have done when he had Sanji pinned to the floor during their last fight…  
That was what he was dreaming of at first, but then he started thinking of other things. Sure, sex was still on his mind a lot but he started focusing more on what could come after. Kissing Sanji’s neck. Cuddling. Falling asleep next to him. Holding hands. The kind of things you wouldn’t expect if you only read about Zoro in the newspapers.  
It was when they finally got separated that Zoro started to realize what a mistake he had made.  
Being without Sanji… _hurt._ It was like the world went greyer every time he woke up and didn’t have to fight for his breakfast. He desperately tried to keep the cook with him but it was hard with only his memories and an awful wanted poster to help him. He started to forget how much Sanji’s kicks hurt or what he smelled like or what his food tasted like.  
That’s how he realized two things: One, being without Sanji was awful. Two, that was what was going to happen eventually.  
There were a lot of things that could happen. They were both extremely reckless, and the New World was supposed to be even worse than the first half of the Grand Line. He didn’t like the thought but it was more than possible that one of them could lose their life.  
Zoro chuckles bitterly at the irony of that thought in this situation. It’s not that Sanji is dying, but it was close. Too close.  
Honestly, Zoro was surprised by how few bounty hunters they’d encountered since leaving East Blue. He just assumed they were all scared, but that turned out to be false.  
The one that came after him and Sanji when they were heading back to the Sunny after some shopping seemed pretty worthless. He was a small and chubby man armed only with a short knife and they had beat him up in no time, with the only harm done being a small scratch on Sanji’s left arm. Zoro had teased him all the way home, but after Chopper bandaged it up they both stopped thinking about it until Sanji suddenly collapsed.  
Zoro had been in the kitchen to ask for some booze, and Sanji had been in the middle of cutting some meat and telling Zoro to fuck off when it happened.  
He just fell to the floor.  
Zoro had reached out to pick him up immediately, but by then he was already falling unconscious. When Chopper arrived he was completely gone, breathing heavily and strained.  
The doctor immediately took off the bandages on Sanji’s arm to find angry red stripes spreading from the scratch. It was pretty obvious what had happened. Zoro didn’t stay to see what kind of medicine Chopper mixed together. He didn’t even stop to grab his sword that where scrambled out in the kitchen. He headed straight for where they had encountered the bounty hunter, and from there he used his observation haki to search for him.  
It didn’t take long to find the man. He was heading back towards the Sunny (Zoro assumed), probably to fetch the poisoned cook. He shouted in surprise as Zoro picked him up by the neck and quickly grabbed his knife and threw it away.  
\- Please don’t kill me!  
\- How unexpected, Zoro had snarled.  
Then he snapped the man’s neck.  
He didn’t know he could do it, but he did.  
Going back to the ship was horrible. When he got onboard everyone was busy so he sneaked off to the crow’s nest. He wanted to work out or something, but ended up just sitting down on the floor, staring at a wall.  
And that’s pretty much it. Now he’s sitting by Sanji’s hammock, terrified of going back into a permanent grey. Terrified of losing the person who has become the few rays of sun that manages to pierce the storm clouds surrounding him.  
\- Hey, marimo, Sanji’s eyes are just half open and it doesn’t really look like he’s seeing anything, but Zoro still gets up from where he’s been sitting as quick as possible.  
\- Hey, shit cook, he says warmly.  
\- Is this a dream? I’ve been having lots of strange dreams lately, he closes his eyes again and frowns. Zoro thinks for a while before responding.  
\- Yeah, it’s a dream, it’s stupid, but he doesn’t want the cook to know that he’s worried, to put two and two together and realize that Zoro is completely smitten with him and try to distance himself.  
\- It’s weird…I really want to wake up, dream Zoro, Zoro feels his heart skip a beat when Sanji uses his name. It’s strange hearing it, but he wants Sanji to say it again.  
\- There’s no rush, you need to rest, he tries to smile.  
\- I suppose so, though I can’t remember why… Sanji falls silent and Zoro starts to think that he’s fallen asleep again when he suddenly turns to him.  
\- It’s kinda weird that you’re in my dream, it’s been a while since the last time that happened, he murmurs, It’s a little embarrassing to tell you, even though I know you’re not really you…he smiles a little and Zoro swallows the words he want to say. The questions he wants to ask. The things he wants to reveal. Instead he says:  
\- Can I hold your hand? It feels a little weird, almost like he’s using Sanji. He knows how important his hands are to him and touching them feels forbidden, in a sense. But Sanji reaches out from under his blankets to take Zoro’s calloused hand in his own smooth one.  
\- Of couse! He smiles.  
After a while he falls asleep again and so does Zoro, still holding his hand.  
He doesn’t think he’ll ever get closer to Sanji than this, so he’s going to savour it.


	2. Falling for you, 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see things from Sanji's perspective

Sanji recovers after just a short while.  
He still has to stay in bed (Chopper’s orders) and it’s equal parts nice and frustrating. He likes being taken care of by Robin and Nami, and it’s kind of nice to relax for a while, but his fingers are itching to get back to cooking. Apparently, the crew takes turns cooking because he gets a meal every day, ranging between good and edible. Someone always brings it to him and stays with him as he eats. Usually it’s Chopper, who takes the opportunity to check on him, or Robin. Luffy isn’t allowed during mealtime since he might steal Sanji’s food, but he still visits after Sanji is finished eating. The only one who doesn’t visit him is Zoro, but that’s to be expected. Sanji has gotten used to Zoro’s distance by now.  
That’s why his last dream confuses him so much.  
He remembers it clearly, Zoro talking to him, holding his hand. Sanji is sure that all dreams have a meaning, but he can’t for the love of god make sense of this one. It’s not that the events in themselves are confusing, just the fact that they happen. _Why would Zoro out of all people want to hold his hand?_ It doesn’t make any sense at all.  
Sanji is alone right now. He can hear the sounds of what’s going on above deck, it sounds like some strange game.  
He only thinks about it for a second before carefully getting out of bed. He’s a little unsteady, but his body quickly remembers how to walk properly and he heads to the kitchen.  
As soon as he enters the room he feels himself straightening up and how he starts to move in familiar patterns. It’s soothing, the mix between having to concentrate while being able to drift off since he cooks almost automatically, if it’s something he makes often. Some things in the kitchen aren’t where they should be, but he quickly puts them back in their place. He sets everything back to normal.  
Then a horrible thought strikes him.  
He checks the food storage, which seems to not have suffered too much from his absence, though he’ll have to be a little careful with the food until they reach the next island. As for the liquor cabinet…  
\- Huh, weird, everything seems to be in its place. He would have expected a certain gorilla to have stolen everything by now.  
\- You really think I’d take advantage of you being out? Sanji rolls his eyes at the familiar voice.  
\- Yeah, you haven’t given me any reason not to, you know, Zoro walks towards the cabinet and snatches a bottle from right under Sanji’s eyes.  
\- Where’s the point if there’s no challenge to it?  
\- God, you’re hopeless, Sanji takes the bottle back and puts it in its place, That’s for cooking you moss brain, he thinks for a while before picking out another bottle and handing it to Zoro.  
\- Huh? Zoro carefully inspects the bottle, Did you poison it or anything? Maybe it’s only water?  
\- Fuck off! I know what a fucking alcoholic you are, if you haven’t been stealing from me since I blacked out you’re probably dying for a drink right now, he smirks at Zoro’s stunned face and takes a drag from his cigarette, Hey, I know what it’s like being addicted to something.  
\- Tch, thanks you stupid cook, Zoro leaves the kitchen with the drink, while Sanji tries his best not to laugh. _How about that, he can actually be kind of grateful._

Chopper gets pissed when he realizes Sanji is out of bed.  
\- Couldn’t you at least have asked me first? Honestly, you guys are so bothersome, he’s in his human for, rubbing his temples. Sanji knows he’s right, but he just needed to get out of bed for a while. That’s what he tells Chopper too.  
\- I just needed to get out of bed, okay. I’m sorry if I worried you, I’ll try not to do it again, okay, he smiles at the reindeer to try and reassure him. He’s not sure if it’s working.  
\- It’s not only me you’ve worr-, he quickly covers his mouth, obviously realizing that he’s slipped up. Sanji decides it’s best not to point it out immediately if he wants an explanation for it.  
\- Yeah, I probably should have been more careful, he laughs, But I really feel okay now. I won’t let anything like that happen again,  
\- I sure hope so, Chopper goes back to his usual form, meaning the scolding is over, Everyone was really worried you know,  
\- I’m supposing by “everyone” you mean “everyone except for Zoro” right? He doesn’t know why he says it. Maybe it’s because of the dream. He just wants to make sure everything is normal. That he’s wrong about the meaning of this particular dream.  
\- Oh no, Zoro actually stayed with you almost all the time while you were out. He only left just shortly after you woke up. Maybe he felt guilty, he’s kind of hard to understand sometimes,  
\- Wait, he stayed until _after_ I woke up? But I can’t remember seeing him until today, Chopper looks at him with a confused look in his round eyes.  
\- But he’s the one who told me you had waken up, 

Sanji goes back to cooking while his mind almost breaks trying to wrap itself around what’s going on. _That strange dream wasn’t…_ He slams his hands down on the counter. It’s not like he doesn’t know what’s going on, it just doesn’t make any sense. It was strange enough as a dream. As a dream it even kind of makes sense. Sanji… _trusts_ Zoro. He chooses the words he thinks carefully. Doesn’t want to go into forbidden territory.  
_That wasn’t a dream._  
There’s a possibility that-  
He might be-  
They could-  
It’s strange what some hope and confusion does to Sanji. Suddenly, he finds himself thinking of Zoro more often. Not the kind of thinking he usually does, trying to predict when the man will try to break into the liquor cabinet next, but the kind of thinking that makes him happy that no one on the crew is a mind-reader.  
Not that the thoughts are dirty, it’s just…well embarrassing that he’s getting a crush on Zoro based on something that happened when he was high on poison and antidotes at the same time.  
But it’s strange what some hope can do.  
_Zoro wanted to hold my hand._  
The thought can strike him at any time when he’s with the swordsman. When they’re fighting, or when Zoro hangs out in the kitchen with him for no reason at all. Or is there a reason? Sanji scratches his forehead and then slaps himself. He can’t go looking for clues to boost his little fantasy world in even the smallest things. Zoro hates him. It’s Sanji’s own fault. Those are solid facts and won’t change.  
_But he wanted to hold my hand._  
Knowing Sanji, you’d expect him to have a mental breakdown about his sexuality, and he’s kind of surprised that he isn’t having one. He probably would if it was anyone else, but it just feels like everything falls into place with Zoro. The part of the both of them being guys isn’t nearly as strange as them being them. Sanji certainly didn’t see this coming.  
But it’s getting out of hand.  
Sometimes he hates Zoro for confusing him like this, other times he almost starts crying because Zoro is so damn amazing.  
He thinks of ways he could send out signals and finally gives up. If he starts acting any different Zoro will just think it’s weird and things will end up bad. Sanji decides it’s best to just wait for the feelings to disappear.  
_But he wanted to hold my hand._  
The thought comes back, and the feelings stay.  
And finally he can’t keep them to himself anymore.  
His voice trembles as he speaks to Zoro, who looks more and more baffled with each word. He says that Zoro can laugh at him, but Zoro doesn’t.  
Instead he hesitantly grabs Sanji’s hands and Sanji doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t even know what’s going on but he can feel his face growing hot and his heart beating like a sledgehammer.  
Zoro doesn’t expect to feel this calm as he pulls Sanji closer, hugging him with one arm while still holding his hand. He’s calm, but not like usual. He’s not pushing his emotions aside, he’s letting them control him for once.  
Sanji can for once read Zoro with ease. He sees all the emotions in those usually cold eyes. They’re calm, but there’s a lot going on there. Zoro is happy, and he’s confident, but there’s still a hint of nervousness in his eyes as he kisses Sanji.  
But most of all, his eyes are full of love, love that Sanji will be happy to return every single day they will have together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that, hope you are happy with how it turned out, if you are I'd love it if you told me in the comments.  
> Have fun and don't do murder (I'm looking at you, AlfredKvaak)  
> Bye kids!

**Author's Note:**

> It's not the best thing I've ever written but it's okay, I think. I might do a Sanji chapter if you want me to.  
> Please comment on the fic I need validation.  
> Have fun and don't do murder.  
> Bye kids!


End file.
